Abstract: A job allocation program controls each of processors to store a record, which contains job information and a priority, into a table in a memory; to specify the record with the highest priority; to execute the specified job; to delete the record of the executed job from the table; to specify the record with the highest priority among records in tables of other processors when an execution time for the job by the execution function is shorter than a predetermined upper limit; and to move the specified record from the table of another processor to its own table. Accordingly, each processor retrieves an unfinished job with the highest priority allocated to another processor and executes the retrieved job before executing a job allocated to itself, when an execution time for the job is shorter than the predetermined upper limit.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus having a plurality of CPUs has increased reliability. When one of storage devices suffers a fault, a corresponding control device indicates the fault to other control devices, so that all the control devices can recognize the fault. When either one of the CPUs has accessed the storage device, the control device indicates the occurrence of the fault to the CPU. Upon reception of the indication of the occurrence of the fault, the CPU changes the storage device for an active system, if necessary, according to predetermined rules. The same processing is performed when other CPUs have accessed the storage device. As a result, when all the CPUs have accessed the storage device, the setting up of the active system is completed.